While removing the Civic CX suspension off of #55 in order to put the 5 lug back on, I've hit a BIG snag. The bolt, labeled #29 and called "Arm Bolt" by sunnyside acura online, is stripped in some way(see diagram below). Basically, as soon as it was loosened, it now spins freely. The problem is, this bolt goes into the frame rail in the rear and there's no way to access the inside. I tried pulling on it with pliers and turning and pulling it with a claw hammer while using a ratchet and it won't catch a thread at all. There is a tiny hole in the bottom nearby, and I was able to get a screwdriver in, and you can definitely feel the bolt spinning.




My questions are:

1) Is there a nut welded inside the frame that this is connected to? I couldn't feel one with the screwdriver stuck in there, but I don't know what else it could tighten on(except possibly the hole itself).

2) Regardless of if there's a nut supposed to be in there or not, how in the heck can I get this bolt out?

3) Once I do get it out, if there's a nut, and it's popped off, how can i fix this? And if there's no nut, do I have to retap the hole somehow?

Thanks.. It appears that someone got a little too crazy with air tools tightening it and as soon as it was loosened it gave way. I'm hoping the same problem isn't going to present itself on the other side.

 

air power = bad.

dremel the head of the bolt off and then take a look see.
you may have to cut into the inside of the car to gain access to the back side of that area and then use a normal bolt/nut/washer.

 

its possible the bolt stripped, not the nut. i would drill out the bolt and/or use a removal tool, then get a new bolt and see if it tightens.

 

Air power = bad indeed..

Willard, when you say cut into the inside of the car, what do you mean exactly? This piece bolts into an inset portion on the frame rail itself. Would I just need to get it welded up later or something? I'll take a pic tonight in case it's unclear what I'm talking about..

euclid, I'm hoping that it's just the bolt. that would make all of this A LOT easier I bet..

 

we had this happen on a 96 civic, however it was a motor mount.

here is how we solved it.

had a small window cut out of the frame rail and then a new nut welded in and the window re welded shut and painted over. Looks as good as new.

the other option would be to cut a small hole in the frame rail and get in there with a wrench to hold a nut while you tighten it, however this is going to be a major pain in the *** to maintain in the future.

I would find a really good welding shop and tell them what needs done and make sure they get the correct pitch and diameter metric weld nut and just have them weld it on.

i think we paid like 200 bucks, however we told the guy that cost didnt matter, we just wanted them to charge what it was worth for them to take thier time and do a nice job.

 

so you're saying I should put it all back together with the bolt screwy, then take it to a shop and have them do it? hmm..

how bad, structurally, is cutting/drilling into the frame rail? at what point do you all think the rigidity would be compromised by doing so? Or just do it and weld it back before I get on the track?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by euclid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">its possible the bolt stripped, not the nut. i would drill out the bolt and/or use a removal tool, then get a new bolt and see if it tightens.</TD></TR></TABLE>

get a drill and drill it out.

 

yeah.. that's pretty much the plan at this point.. here's a pic of what i'm talking about though.. it's the bolt on the right(the only one in the pic I think)..

 

first of all, you dont need to remove those for a 5 lug conversion, just if your doin some chamber kits, drill it out. retap.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Peagreenhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">first of all, you dont need to remove those for a 5 lug conversion, just if your doin some chamber kits, drill it out. retap.</TD></TR></TABLE>

there is a difference between what's on the car and for the 5 lug. The 5 lug being sturdier and heavier. So we opted to make the change totally.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Peagreenhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">first of all, you dont need to remove those for a 5 lug conversion, just if your doin some chamber kits, drill it out. retap.</TD></TR></TABLE>

this is a good idea if it is the actual nut that is stripped within the frame. just drill the bolt out and retap a different, slightly larger thread pattern. just make sure you use a suspension grade bolt and you should be fine.

i would try to avoid a welder at all costs.

 

If the nut inside has indeed broken loose, you'll need to take a hole saw and cut out a hole below the nut, in the frame rail. Then hold the nut with a wrench and take the bolt out with a socket. At this point bolt everything back together with a new nut and (most likely) the same bolt. If your bolt is destroyed, use a new nut AND bolt. You can tack weld the new nut in place or just leave it to be maintained with a wrench and socket in the future.

If the nut hasn't broken loose and it's an issue of the threads in the nut being destroyed, you can replace the threads with a Heli-coil, thus allowing you to use the same pitch bolt in the future.

If it's just the bolt's threads, make sure to chase the threads in the nut before you reinstall. However, it's rare that you destroy a bolt and leave the nut in good condition. You'll probably end up replacing both.

As for a welder- we aren't talking about heat treated material here. A weld in this area of the car isn't going to cause any problems and anyone from an exhaust shop guy to one of the FAA repair guys out in my shop could weld what you're talking about.

Good luck with it.